Columns

While people often associate the work of Congress with debates on legislation, our office provides a variety of additional services of which you should be aware. We have a dedicated staff that is at your service to assist you with any federal matter.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve traveled throughout the Sixth Congressional District visiting numerous businesses, getting a firsthand look at the hard work their employees do, and listening to their concerns about the direction of the economy. Whether large employers or small, family-owned businesses, or if they are located in Roanoke, Front Royal, Amherst, or Waynesboro, their comments have followed a common theme: the federal government’s policies of more regulation and higher taxes are standing in the way of job creation.

Generally speaking, mainstream media coverage of the Ebola crisis – as it relates to the U.S. – has been about as bad as it could get.
Television coverage, in particular, has done nothing but stir up fear and paranoia, and some people don’t need much encouragement to lapse into either one.
When one of the infected Dallas nurses was being transported to a hospital, and was even then listed in fair condition, CNN and MSNBC sent out helicopters to cover the “motorcade.”

As I travel around Virginia’s Fifth District, I constantly hear from constituents who are astounded and upset by the manner in which the federal government operates at times. They are often irritated by the misuse of taxpayer funds and the poor management of federal agencies.

If you had never heard of Ebola before, chances are that you have now. Ebola, a serious and often fatal virus, has made its way to the United States; but that’s not a reason to panic. Ebola has been present in Africa since the 1970’s, and can only be transmitted through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person. The current outbreak in West Africa has severely affected the countries of Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia, but it is important to remember that these countries have much weaker health care and sanitation systems than those in the United States.

Spin is the essence of modern politics.
If occurs when mass media and politicians take a real event like Hurricane Katrina and create a narrative thought to be helpful to Democrats or Republicans. This becomes revealed truth to those who don’t have time to read a good newspaper or think for themselves, against which all the saints could argue in vain. Sen. Mark Warner is a master of spin and it has served him well.

I have been a true Republican for 48 years.
I have been an elected official for Bedford County District 2 for 10 months. I have not and will not ever answer to any special interest groups. I was elected by the people of District 2 to represent them.